The Lankan team overcomes the Bangladeshi side to maintain their tournament hopes ongoing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Hasini Perera 85 (99); Shorna Akter 3-27

The Bangladeshi team 195-9 (50 overs): Joty 77 (98); Chamari Athapaththu 4-42

Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka claimed four crucial dismissals in the final innings segment to complete a nail-biting win over Bangladesh and maintain their faint hopes of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Chasing a below-par total of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine runs from the remaining six balls.

Yet, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu claimed three crucial wickets in four bowls and de Silva ran out Nahida to achieve a thrilling victory for the Lankan team.

The victory – the Lankan team's maiden of the tournament after three defeats and two washed-out matches against Australia and the Kiwi side – moves them tied on four tournament points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, endured a fifth straight setback since winning their initial game against Pakistan and have been eliminated.

Even though Bangladesh made the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the first delivery of the encounter to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a disappointing fielding performance.

They provided lifelines to Hasini Perera, who was spilled three times, and Athapaththu.

While the Sri Lankan skipper failed to capitalise, removed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced the opposition suffer.

She registered a maiden international half-century, making 85 from 99 deliveries and contributing to an important 74-run stand fifth-wicket with De Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, dragged themselves back into the contest, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th innings segment triggering a Lankan batting collapse from 174-4 to 202 total.

While batting second, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23-1 in a disappointing powerplay and they were subsequently reduced to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Joty rebuilt their innings, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter left the field injured for a stubborn 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was leaning toward the chasing team approaching the remaining two overs, with merely 12 runs required.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and allowed merely three runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all removed as the Lankan team seized the triumph at the very end.

Finally, it was a match of composure. The very experienced Lankan captain, who moved aside a several of team-mates as she prepared to deliver the final over, held her nerve. The opposition could not.

There will be numerous inquiries about the team's batting display. They possibly have been pursuing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team seeming comfortable on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th over, but instead the chase was much lower.

However, Bangladesh lacked purpose from the start, accumulating runs at below 2.5 runs each over during the powerplay, suffering a top-order collapse, and finally leaving themselves too much to do.

But whatever issues there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their opportunities in the field, that 203-run target would have been considerably less.

It required them three efforts to break the 72-run stand second-wicket, with keeper Joty failing to hold a difficult catch as wicketkeeper to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 before Athapaththu survived from a return catch chance against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was spilled further on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the last attempt traveling straight to Jhilik at cover position, before eventually being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna as she tried to up the ante with teammates falling near her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was additionally a failed stumping and a missed run-out, although the run-out chance was a little unfortunate, with Rubya Haider standing in with the wicketkeeping gloves due to an physical problem to Joty.

Sadly for the team, such fielding woes are not at all a isolated incident. They've missed 14 catches from a possible 27 opportunities at this competition and have the worst fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the eight teams.

They are a squad who are overall progressing in the correct path – they are participating in only their second ODI World Cup ultimately – but inadequate fielding standards is a glaring issue which needs improvement.